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This topic thread invite a study of the world of MHG. I noted a similar invite in another hang gliding forum.
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Micro Hang Gliding (MHG)
in the manned-piloted format is hang gliding. The glides are very very short in time duration; one hardly notices the gliding. The glide ratio is most often super tiny, often much less that L/D of 1. MHG has been occurring for thousands of years throughout the world. One may advance in the skills of MHG. Duration of glides may be increased; notice the 1-second threshold; then notice the 2-second threshold; etc.
Purposes of MHG? It varies from pilot to pilot, from scene to scene. The wings vary in configuration; some of the wings would not be easily recognized by pilots from contemporary hang glider clubs; yet the wings the club members use have been doing some MHG with little or no note.
This topic thread invites careful study and perhaps development of MHG. MHG may be done with super tiny wing sets or very large wings. There might be some neat research opportunities in the MHG realm. And some fun competitions may await careful definition. Exploring the purposes of MHG is invited. Measuring MHG glides may challenge sensors.
MHG in some forms may be done by senior citizens and just-post toddlers as well as by super prime athletes. Physical efforts may vary from tiny to large, depending on system design.
Most all HG pilots probably have a larger history of doing some types of MHG than they might have realized. Becoming aware of one's MHG background could be part of the fun of involving with this flight realm.
Long live MHG !
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The first responder at the other forum raised a white flag and noted he was confused, as he was not sure what the topic was actually about. Fair pause.
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For the first responder, I noted:
skoozey,
Fair enough white flag for a pause. Some clarifying.
You recently asked in a different topic: "How long were you up?"
Consider a hang gliding flight that lasted 1/10 of one second; such would be one instance of a MHG flight.
Explore the following: Have yourself a tiny hang glider wing, say of total area of 3 square inches; hook into that wing. Face the wind or walk into the wind. Step off a tiny mound so that both of your feet are off the ground and your body mass is hanging from your little wing as you glide back to have your feet touch the ground. That too would be an instance of micro hang gliding (MHG). What might be the duration of that hang gliding flight? It would depend on the height of the tiny mound and how you operated your feet and knees and wing. The precise time would also depend on the shape of the wing and the wind conditions. And your true altitude above or below sea level. And other factors (clothes, body mass, motions during the glide, ... ). What you were thinking during the MHG flight was pretty much up to you; what you thought just before you launched into the MHG was also probably left up to you; how you felt before, during, and after the flight was something you might put in your diary or exclaim to your friends. You might have come down without good coordination and hurt yourself; you might have landed on a sharp piece of glass or on the watch belonging to another person, perhaps a Rolex.
Now, this topic thread aims to explore a great variety of formats of MHG, purposes, challenges, safety, wing-set designs, hang-line designs, harnesses, etc. for MHG.
MHG is a subset living in the world of hang gliding. Ancients did MHG without having a word for their activity. Recall that wings may be super tiny or very large and of a limitless variety of shapes. MHG may occur using a wing set of one wing or a wing set having thousands of wings. Feel free to explore MHG.
